Mexican American Journey

In this article Mexicans: Pioneers of a Different Type Gonzalez gives us an outlook different from what we generally read when taught about American History. His effort is to explain how each of the different Latino groups came. What was happening in their home towns that caused them to leave. If people want to accept it, eventually they will have to. That this country is bound to go through an enormous Latino population explosion. Gonzalez writes “Mexican Americans meanwhile, face a frustrating identity problem like that of Puerto Ricans” (pg97). Being a Mexican American myself I could agree that it is at times frustrating identifying. We are either too American to be Mexican. Or too Mexican, to be American. In 1749 because of what was called the promise

Traditionally history of the Americas and American population has been taught in a direction heading west from Europe to the California frontier. In Recovering History, Constructing Race, Martha Mencahca locates the origins of the history of the Americas in a floral pattern where migration from Asia, Europe, and Africa both voluntary and forced converge magnetically in Mexico then spreads out again to the north and northeast. By creating this patters she complicates the idea of race, history, and nationality. The term Mexican, which today refers to a specific nationality

Waving goodbye from the backseat of the car, as we pull out of my parent’s driveway. Looking out the window at the oddly, white shaped clouds. Thinking, I had never been away from my parents and my younger sister for so long, even though it was only for two weeks. I was excited and scared all at once, but I wasn’t too thrilled about the whole 29-hour drive there. Hoping that the trip would go well and nothing bad will happen to us.

Growing up I have always been proud of my Mexican roots. I do not believe in hiding who you are, on the contrary, I believe in embracing it. This led me to be a part of a very special group at my high school. I became a member of Alma Folklorica de Oklahoma my sophomore year in high school. It is a Mexican folk dance group, and it consists of dancing traditional dances from Mexico. While the main reason I joined the group was to learn more about Mexico as a whole, I learned much more than I had anticipated. Going in I thought that I would just be learning dances; I didn’t expect to learn such valuable lessons as I have. I joined the group so I would have a better knowledge about Mexico and my culture. It’s been great learning about different regions throughout Mexico; especially about regions that I had never been previously exposed to. However I’ve learned more than I anticipated. I’ve had the pleasure to learn how to change out of one outfit with multiple accessories into another within five minutes and sometimes in less than three minutes. I’ve also had the pleasure of learning that if you mess up, just keep on smiling and no one will ever know. Not only have I learned things about performing. I have also learner life lessons. I have learned how to use jumper cables, how to properly communicate with others, and how to work as a team. Prior to joining the group, I had no idea the importance of communication. I

Peter Marin’s article “Toward Something American: The Immigrant Soul” explains his views on American life versus American culture and how they differ. He explains that in the average American life it is simply the task of finding and calling the place they now reside in home. “Home is for us, as it is for all immigrants, something to be regained, created, discovered, or mourned-not where we are in time or space, but where we dream of being”. (84) In other words, a new immigrant coming to America and a descendent to new world immigrant still experience the same conflict of American life. In the

The United States wanted to expand its territory toward the West and the Southwest during the Market Revolution in search for raw materials. After gaining its independence from Spain in 1821, Mexico was left “destitute, reducing its ability to supply the establecimientos as before.” Aside from that, Native groups such as the Apache and the Comanche returned to raid its supply. They continued to raid Mexico, especially Texas. Eventually, the Native groups reached the outskirts of Mexico City. To create a buffer zone between Mexico and the Natives, the Mexican government opened its border in Texas and welcomed new settlers. Most of these settlers were Anglo-American. By the end of the 1820s, “Anglo-American outnumbered Mexicans in Texas 12,000 to 5,000.” The Anglo-American brought with them cash crops that helped flourished the economy of Texas.

In George J. Sanchez’s, Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture, and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles 1900-1945, Sanchez brings forth a new understanding of Mexican-American culture through the presentation of how the culture made substantial adaptations under limited economic and social mobility (Sanchez 13). Unlike other historians who studies the variations of Mexican American cultural identity from a national prospective , Sanchez creatively selects Los Angeles as his site of research because, not only is the city home to the largest Mexican population in the United States, but also because Latinos play a profound role in shaping the city’s culture. Growing up in an immigrant family himself, Sanchez undoubtedly has many personal

However, I am not just a Mexican, I was also born in America. As a Mexican American, there is more that

Many minorities and women were given the opportunity to take jobs that were left behind by men who fought in World War II, but after the war was over, all of those opportunities that many had, vanished. As a result of this issue, many problems started arising, and people began to be more involved. Citizens of the United States resisted the social conformity of the 1950’s by creating organizations, starting strikes, and attempting to put segregation to an end.

Latinos have been the hard working class of America that has been underappreciated throughout the centuries. They have been a significant force that pushed forward the advancement of America with providing their back breaking labor as a contribution. Over the past centuries Latinos have flooded the United States in the hopes for better opportunities and better pay. Most were undocumented illegal immigrants brought in for cheap labor to work on farms that covered most of the west coast. These Latinos had little to no rights and have been taken advantage of, with being compensated for their hard work for little to nothing of value. They can not do anything, for that they had no word. This was a great upset throughout the Latino community that

An immigrant's life is impacted by many things when arriving to the United States. For example, when arriving to the United States they have trouble communicating with others or fitting into a new life that awaits for them. Alvarez uses imagery and symbolism to show that American Identity can be heavily impacted by the need to fit into society and adapting to a new culture while trying to stay true to one’s native culture. Author Background and Historical Context

In “Legal Alien” by Pat Mora, the speaker describes how her life is while being a part of two cultures, Mexican and American. Through the use of repetition, symbols, and diction, the speaker presents to the reader the idea that an individual is responsible for supporting herself. The speaker uses lines one through seven to introduce herself and being Mexican and American, describing how she can slip from English to Spanish any time she needs to. However, the first line is the most significant line in this section.

From the 19th century to the present day there has been a massive migration from Mexico to the United States of America. There have been many causes for this migration from the Mexican Revolution to the need for laborers in the United States. This migration has brought benefits as well as problems like the thousands of unaccompanied children currently crossing the border to the United States.

Our family history is rooted in Texas and Mexico. Discussing our family history with my parents and relatives I have found that my grand-parents and great grandparents were born and raised in Texas. They moved back and forth between Mexico and Texas for work. Both sides of our family always sought work and better opportunities for their families. Our families have been made up of strong men who worked mostly as laborers. My grandfathers and great-grand fathers worked in cotton fields, as ranch hands, migrant workers known as “Campesinos”, “Brazeros” or laborers, sheered sheep and have even been grave diggers. Working in many different manual labors in the Del Rio, Austin and Hill Country area of Brady and Seguin, always working hard for their families. During the depression in America, my

1. Describe the development of black schools in the south after the Civil War? Black people saw educations as a way of self emancipation. Slaves knew the importance of having a education, some of them took the risk of going to secret school, where they were able to learn how to read and write. Black decided to set up their own schools at their own expenses. With the help of free black men, white yankee missionaries, and school teachers the first schools were established in the South. The inspector of the Freedmen’s Bureau when to the South and found around 500 native schools. Black parents and southtreen residents took control of the schools’ system. Using their money to pay for the schools’ expenses.